Matteo V wrote: ↑Sun Feb 03, 2019 8:16 pm
grigorib wrote: ↑Sun Feb 03, 2019 7:54 pm
2. almost never. I more often hit the water hard enough that valves crack open and I come back with few unpinched valves
Wow! I never new crashing a kite could un-pinch a strut valve. Learn something new every day....but seems to be kind of making my point about not relying on an inflatable kite to be a lifesaving device.
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It happens easily, I'm amazed how I don't blow bladders
One of the explanations I tend to ride newer gear all the time, which is not worn out
Matteo V wrote: ↑Sun Feb 03, 2019 8:16 pm
grigorib wrote: ↑Sun Feb 03, 2019 7:54 pm
Also inflated kite when ditched floats towards shore nicely when fully released, I saw two within two last weeks do it and one of them was easy to pick up and bring back ashore.
No arguement here other than....... how did that fully released kite help the kiter swim back? Again, kind of seems to be making my point about not relying on an inflatable kite to be a lifesaving device.
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I don't think they should have released but they did. You swim back - and don't rely on stuff. But it might be easier to find someone drifting offshore sitting on a huge colorful thing which will stay afloat for hours and hours.
Matteo V wrote: ↑Sun Feb 03, 2019 8:16 pm
grigorib wrote: ↑Sun Feb 03, 2019 7:54 pm
I'm not arguing false sense of security but i insist that being out in water with multi-chambered inflatable device is safer than being there with a paraglider wing. Ask anyone ranging from a fifthgrader to a coast guard if in doubt.
I asked a fifth grader, and he had no idea what I was talking about. I will try to find a fifth grader who kites and will report back.
The 2 coast guard guys I asked both said that you should not rely on an inflatable device that is not intended to float a human being. As tying yourself to it could put you in danger of drowning should the kite flip over in the wind, you can only safely, "hold on". In some ways it is like an over turned boat hull - as it will be easier for rescuers to see, but it could pull you down with it (or just flip on top of you/entangle you making swimming more difficult, in the case of a kite).
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It's a smart answer for a question you weren't asking. Everyone can say not to trust your life to anyone or anything. But when you have a choice or make people make the choice and given either a multi-chambered inflatable device or a paraglider a mile offshore I'm sure the coast guards you asked will pick the first, while neither of these are intended to safe human life.
BTW It can all also result in nausea or vomiting, lost of vision, heart attack, stroke, hypothermia, drowning, suffocating, choking if swallowed and all the legal BS they say. Also - don't take any of my advice and always follow manufacturers instruction and seek professional help when in doubt. Add more disclaimer...
I, for myself enjoy increased chances when I'm offered them. I guess I was wrong considering any fifthgraders and any coast guards able to reason. I hope there are better ones out there - I pay my taxes for them to study, learn and serve.
Matteo V wrote: ↑Sun Feb 03, 2019 8:16 pm
grigorib wrote: ↑Sun Feb 03, 2019 7:54 pm
Also inflated kite when ditched floats towards shore nicely when fully released, I saw two within two last weeks do it and one of them was easy to pick up and bring back ashore.
grigorib wrote: ↑Sun Feb 03, 2019 7:54 pm
The only probable reason I'd ditch kite completely is if it tangles on a buoy or pulls me offshore or pulls me into a danger.
Good for you that you have apparently not ditched the kite and had to swim in. However, I would suggest you realize that this can happen to you. I mean, you said you just watched it happen 2 times in the last 2 weeks.... So we can deduce that this is more than a remote possibility??? Correct?
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Yop. They swam back. Well, actually both were towed in - the second one by me personally.
Matteo V wrote: ↑Sun Feb 03, 2019 8:16 pm
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And last question - Do you go out further than you can swim in because you have an inflatable kite instead of a foil kite?
I never ride further away than I can swim to start with - it's a rule not to break. I can rest on water fine and I make sure I'm not going to be dead because of hypothermia. With a wetsuit and a jacket on (neither are approved as lifesaving devices, but hell they do increase my chances) it's easier to swim.
Do I feel in more danger a mile offshore - oh, yeah. Do I throw crazy shit out there compared to what I do close to shore - nope
But comparing swimins with inflatable to swimins with a foil - I'd opt for the first one